Rice paintings reflect Vietnam’s soul

As contemporary art accepts all things as materials, rice is not only the staple food but also a unique art material. Through the skilful hands of artisans, roasted rice grains are combined together into paintings about landscapes and people in Vietnam, and graft rice paintings become an art speciality imprinted with Vietnamese soul.

The first and foremost step is rice selection. Selected grain rice must be strong, shiny, and solid (Photo: VNP/VNA)

Each type of rice is used for different purposes: ordinary rice for thin details; sticky rice for big details and broken rice for small details. (Photo: VNP/VNA)

Then, the artist has to sketch an outline of the picture on a wooden block. (Photo: VNP/VNA)

Artist applies a varnish treatment and chemical substance to preserve the colors as well as enhance the aesthetics of the painting. (Photo: VNP/VNA)

The topics of rice painting are varied: Portrait rice painting, landscape rice painting, calligraphy rice painting and religious rice painting.(Photo: VNP/VNA)

Because of the diversity in theme, foreign visitors can easily choose a picture of rice as a gift.(Photo: VNP/VNA)

In particular, paintings of nature, country, or Vietnamese are favored by many people.(Photo: VNP/VNA)

What makes a rice painting unique is the color harmony, the arrangement of the rice grains, and the attractive display.(Photo: VNP/VNA)

VNA